Hotel Furearu Izumi

We just visited the Heisei no Yu bathhouse next door instead of staying at the hotel. It was raining, which made the open-air bath feel especially nice. It was fairly quiet, maybe because we went on a Saturday afternoon.

The peach blossoms nearby were in full bloom, looking amazing against the blue sky and green mountains. Definitely worth seeing! The place itself was closed when I visited.

The food was all really good, and I loved the coffee afterward too. There was no menu, though, so when the soup and pickles arrived my husband assumed that was the end of the meal and started to leave. I called him back, and we then had grilled fish, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), and dessert. Even a simple menu listing those dishes would have helped. We could have had the kamameshi (rice cooked in a pot) before dessert and waited more comfortably. Maybe the cook was on their own? It would be useful to have someone make a menu on a computer and put out copies. The hot spring felt smooth and silky, a bit like Sakakibara Onsen ♨️, and I could soak by myself while looking at Mt. Arashima. The room was clean and step-free. I only saw four staff members, lol. One person handled the cloakroom, including in the morning. The evening and morning waiters were different foreign staff, and both spoke excellent Japanese. They worked hard, so I didn't mind waiting.

The room was spacious, clean, and relaxing, though it took a while to warm up even with the heater on. The parking area was covered in snow, hiding the white lines and making it hard to tell where to park. The souvenir corner also felt a little small, and could use a few more items. We had a very satisfying trip and I'd like to come back in another season to see how the scenery changes. My wife and I drove from Aichi Prefecture, stopping at the Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama on the way to Furearu Izumi. Getting there was very easy via National Route 158 from Ono to Shimoyama. The staff greeted us outside when we arrived and explained things clearly. Their service was excellent, and all the meals were delicious. The maitake mushroom dengaku and shirasu kamameshi stood out. We also used the Heisei no Yu bath in the annex. Its open-air bath felt spacious, and soaking while it snowed was a special experience.